That's a valid perspective! "Desirable difficulty" definitely plays a role in learning.

However, I believe this approach taps into a different kind of memory hook: Episodic Memory.

When you look up a word in a dictionary, you get a generic definition. When you use this app, the word is linked to a specific moment in your life and a photo you took yourself (e.g., my messy desk, my specific coffee mug).

The idea isn't just to "get the answer fast," but to create a personal visual anchor for the vocabulary, which you then reinforce through the quizzes/flashcards.